Expanding a 2 car into a 3 car

[ChuckGm3]

I'm considering purchasing the house we're currently renting from the owner. It's really our dream home except for the garage. I always said that when we bought, it would need to have a 3-car garage and there are plenty of those in this neighborhood. However none of those are on single story homes on single story streets like this place is. The private back yard is a huge plus for us. I digress, but the point is, if I can make this expansion successful, this would be our dream home without compromise. If not... then I may keep looking.

Here's a couple of photoshopped pics I did to show my wife how it would impact the entry way that she loves. (And no, photoshopping my wife out of the picture is not a metaphor! )

A larger version can be seen here Here

Some stats.

Currently
20' deep x 21' wide, 16' door offset left
2 cars, 2 motorcycles, workbench, all fit snugly
Attached to home on back wall but no direct access
Completely un-finished, Drywall and insulation only on house adjoining wall
Built in 1972, No HOA, Concrete slab

Tentative plan
10' deep x 26' wide, 16' door left, 8' door right (5 foot expansion into planter)
2 cars, 3 motorcycles, workbench, room to spare
Added direct access in the office (a few feet to the left of the front door)
Completely finished with insulation and drywall, ceiling and all walls.

Where should I start on a project like this?
Will it be possible to expand the existing structure without a complete tear down?
Any wildly vague guesses as to cost/time? (I know it'll depend on many factors)
What might my city have to say about this?
Is it a bad idea?

 

[s14kev]

I have effectively a 2 car garage which is 26ft wide (two garge doors side by side). I would think that a 26ft wide would be tight for a 3 car garage. The central wall in your home is most likely load bearing looking at the roof line. To expand your garage, major engineering would be required to remove that wall. You will most likely need to replace your beams with structural beam (gluelam or I beams) from one side of the garage to the new wall adjacent to the entry door. Cost would be significant for just and extra 5x10ft space.

 

[ChuckGm3]

I have effectively a 2 car garage which is 26ft wide (two garge doors side by side). The central wall in your home is most likely load bearing looking at the roof line. To expand your garage, major engineering would be required to remove that wall. You will most likely need to replace your beams with structural beam (gluelam or I beams) from one side of the garage to the new wall adjacent to the entry door. Cost would be significant for just and extra 5x10ft space.

Definitely not load bearing, I can see the framework of the wall from inside the garage, nothing but a patchwork of 2x4's for the stucco to adhere to. The load bearing structure is the 12"x6" beam which is supported by posts in the front yard.

Also I'm looking to get 20x5 additional space not 5x10. Most importantly the extra 8" door for access.

 

[s14kev]

Interesting construction if you are able to have a 26ft x 20ft space with no internal supporting posts? That would be awesome however.

 

[a1veedubber]

Honestly, if she likes the entryway she will hate the garage addition. It closes it off quite a bit and makes it cramped. Completely changes the look of the front of the house too.

 

[ChuckGm3]

Honestly, if she likes the entryway she will hate the garage addition. It closes it off quite a bit and makes it cramped. Completely changes the look of the front of the house too.

I agree, and it's something I'm apprehensive about too, but perhaps I could bring in a designer to do something which will resolve that?

 

[a1veedubber]

It is possible, you might be able to change the front entrance completely to something that she even likes better!

 

[s14kev]

It is possible, you might be able to change the front entrance completely to something that she even likes better!

Or extend the garage to where the post is and make a grand old entrance where the window is. You would indeed then have an awesome garage. However, your neighbours might then mistake your house for a warehouse!

 

[MotoCARR]

Subscribed! My wife and I are house hunting and I have the same questions . Lots of two car garage options, but one of the factors I am considering is space either on the side of the house or behind to expand the garage a bit to a 2.5 car space.

 

[FordTruckWench]

Tentative plan
10' deep x 26' wide, 16' door left, 8' door right (5 foot expansion into planter)
2 cars, 3 motorcycles, workbench, room to spare
Added direct access in the office (a few feet to the left of the front door)

You'll need to go a little bit wider. Figure 1' wall, 16' door, 2' wall, 8' door, 1' wall which is 28' wide. Even then, there is a bit of lack of a shear wall. Don't let the position of the front door limit you in the width. You could create a little alcove for the door, though this'll limit the depth of the 3rd garage bay. Or ...

Or extend the garage to where the post is and make a grand old entrance where the window is. You would indeed then have an awesome garage. However, your neighbours might then mistake your house for a warehouse!

... you can do this.

 

[Krash Kadillak]

Looks like it's do-able. One thing that you might want to consider as a part of the project is moving out the front wall of the entry about 8-10' as well. Front door might look a bit funny with the wall of the garage right next to it.

 

[ChuckGm3]

You'll need to go a little bit wider. Figure 1' wall, 16' door, 2' wall, 8' door, 1' wall which is 28' wide. Even then, there is a bit of lack of a shear wall. Don't let the position of the front door limit you in the width. You could create a little alcove for the door, though this'll limit the depth of the 3rd garage bay. Or ...



... you can do this.

I think 2' in between the two doors would be excessive. The door tracks are only about 2.5" wide. I was thinking a foot would be sufficient.

Like So:

The 3rd bay is primarily going to be used as work space and motorcycle storage so there won't likely ever be 3 cars side by side in here. But if we do end up re-doing the front entry-way then I may go whole hog like you guys suggest and go all the way out to the posts. That would be big enough for 4 car.

 

[Brownsfan]

Subscribed! My wife and I are house hunting and I have the same questions . Lots of two car garage options, but one of the factors I am considering is space either on the side of the house or behind to expand the garage a bit to a 2.5 car space.

Sorry but off topic a little. Its nice to see another 12v professional on here. The wife and I are in the same-ish boat. I do all my work on site so my giant tool box is now home. So I want a 2-2.5 car ATTACHED garage. My garage now is 2.5 but unheated and un-insulated and cold. Cant do much in there in the winter.

 

[MotoCARR]

I hear that man. I've done on customer site installs the past few years and stuff takes 3x longer because i either left a tool I needed or my hands froze lol. Needless to say I went into semi retirement this winter!

There really is something to say about having your tools in the same place, at the same time, every time.

 

[FordTruckWench]

I think 2' in between the two doors would be excessive. The door tracks are only about 2.5" wide. I was thinking a foot would be sufficient.

By the time you stack together all the required wood pieces for the middle, it'll be darn near two feet. My house uses redwood 2x6's to trim the rough garage door opening to the finished size. Then add at least one jack stud and a king stud on each side. All this 2x lumber is 9 inches alone. Next, it may be nice to have a light switch or receptacle in the middle, so add space for it. This "post" will also be a major load bearing point that ultimately supports the garage's ridge beam, so include a 4x4 or 4x6. Finally, you'll need space for anchor bolts and earthquake hold downs.

I see you updated your location to California. In this case you'll definitely need a shear wall someplace on the front of the garage. You can go "stick built" and make it 4 feet wide. Or you can choose an engineered pre-built module. The narrowest available is 18 inches - and that's the rough framing size.